José Tomás Ovalle y Bezanilla (; December 21, 1787 – March 21, 1831) was a
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
an
political figure
A politician is a person who participates in policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles or duties tha ...
. He served twice as provisional
president of Chile
The president of Chile (), officially the president of the Republic of Chile (), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is responsible for both Government of Chile, government administration and s ...
.
Early life
He was born in Santiago, the son of Vicente María Ovalle Guzmán and of María del Rosario Bezanilla y Noriega. He studied in the
Convictorio Carolino and law at the
Universidad de San Felipe, where he obtained his doctorate in both laws in 1809. He married his cousin,
Rafaela Bezanilla Bezanilla on April 1, 1812, and had eleven children.
Ovalle was twice elected deputy for Santiago (1823 and 1824–1825), supplementary senador (1824), Vice presidente of the Provincial Assembly of Santiago and was a delegate to the Plenipotentiaries Congress of 1830, being elected vice president.
Civil War of 1829
When the
Chilean Civil War of 1829
Chilean may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Chile, a country in South America
* Chilean people
* Chilean Spanish
* Chilean culture
* Chilean cuisine
* Chilean Americans
See also
*List of Chileans
This is a list of Chileans who ar ...
broke out between the conservative centralists and the liberal federalists, President
Francisco Antonio Pinto
Francisco Antonio Pinto y Díaz de la Puente (; July 23, 1785 – July 18, 1858) was a Chilean politician who served as President of Chile between 1827 and 1829.
Early life
He was born in Santiago, the son of Joaquín Pinto and Mercedes D ...
was forced twice to leave the post of president to
Francisco Ramón Vicuña Larraín. First, from July 14 to October 19, when Vicuña assumed power as President Delegate, and then finally when he resigned on November 2 and Vicuña assumed full power.
On December 7, 1829, the conservative troops under General
José Joaquín Prieto Vial, commander of the southern army, approached Santiago from the South. The conservative army decided to halt the march onto Santiago for a while and camped a few miles outside the city. The government under Vicuña fled northward to
Coquimbo
Coquimbo is a port List of cities in Chile, city, Communes of Chile, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley south of La Serena, Chile, La S ...
. On December 14, 1829, General Prieto and his troops met the liberal army under
Francisco de la Lastra
General Francisco de la Lastra y de la Sotta (; October 4, 1777 – May 13, 1852) was a Chilean military officer and the first Supreme Director of Chile (1814).
Biography
He was born on 4 October 1777 in Santiago de Chile, the son of Antonio ...
and defeated them at the
Battle of Ochagavía. Then, the two military leaders signed a peace treaty, which complicated the political situation further. Meanwhile, President Vicuña and his ministers were imprisoned by the victorious conservative troops in
Valparaiso.
First administration
Chile was without a leader for a few weeks (from December 7 to 24, 1829) until a
Government Junta was organized and took control, in order to avoid the continuance of hostilities, under a neutral José Tomás Ovalle who was acceptable to both sides. This junta ruled the country from December 24, 1829, to February 18, 1830. Finally an agreement was found with the involvement of
Ramón Freire
Ramón Saturnino Andrés Freire y Serrano (; November 29, 1787 – December 9, 1851) was a Chilean political figure. He was head of state on several occasions, and enjoyed a numerous following until the War of the Confederation. Ramón Fr ...
which nominated
Francisco Ruiz-Tagle Portales as acting president.
Second administration
Because of internal dissent with his ministers, Ruiz-Tagle Portales resigned six weeks later on March 31, 1830, and was succeeded by
vice president
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
Ovalle who assumed as a transitional president, and held the position until the advanced state of his
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
forced him to ask for a constitutional leave on March 8, 1831. He died a few days later, on March 21, 1831, at 9 AM, and his remains were interred under the altar of the Santiago Cathedral, where they were lost during the renovations of the 19th century and found again in 2004.
After José Tomás Ovalle died, he was replaced by the President of the Plenipotentiaries Congress,
Fernando Errázuriz Aldunate, who took over on March 31, 1831, with the title of ''Accidental Vice President of the Republic''. Errázuriz Aldunate called new elections, where General
José Joaquín Prieto Vial was elected. General Prieto was installed on September 18, 1831, and thus began the era of the decade governments.
Cabinet
External links
Genealogical chart of Ovalle family
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ovalle Bezanilla, Jose Tomas
1787 births
1831 deaths
People from Santiago, Chile
Chilean people of Spanish descent
Presidents of Chile
Heads of state of Chile
Vice presidents of Chile
Members of the Senate of Chile
Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile
People of the Chilean Civil War of 1829–30
Viceroyalty of Peru people